Page News & Courier
Heritage and Heraldry
Page execution: Marylanders fall for defying barn-burners, part 1
Article of May 17, 2001
No, it's not the Summers-Koontz Incident this time.
This incident stemmed from an episode at the Henry Pendleton Hershberger home "late on a Sunday afternoon," in October 1864.
Federal troops had been making the rounds in burning barns and mills and were closing in on the Hershberger family. The barn at the Kendrick farm and Willow Grove Mill were already on fire. Elizabeth Hershberger and six of her children watched terrified from the porch of the home anticipating the same for their barn. The husband had taken flight to the Blue Ridge to prevent the capture of a seventeen year-old son.
Though not a soldier, the fear was still prevalent that the boy would be taken as a prisoner of war regardless. The eldest son, John, was a member of Co. K, 10th Virginia Infantry and had been taken prisoner at Spotsylvania Court House in May.
As dusk approached, three Federal cavalrymen moved in on the Hershberger family and in a "loud and boisterous" manner claimed that they had come to burn their barn. However, if the family would pay them $30 or $40 in gold or silver, the barn would be spared.
Knowing that the barn would likely be burned anyway, Elizabeth refused the offer and likely did not have the money. Boasting of their last barn burning, the men appeared drunk to Mrs. Hershberger and demanded that she provide matches as they had run out.
Amazingly, about that same time, another band of horsemen was seen by the children approaching from the edge of the woods on the far side of their orchard. Meanwhile, the Yanks continued, apparently without worry, in a loud manner.
As the other set of horsemen closed in, they paused to hear the Federals give themselves away. Among the lot was Sgt. Frank Long of the Massanutten Rangers of Co. D, 7th Virginia Cavalry. Home from a wound received at Ream's Station, he and a fair group of other men that were at home had moved out that morning apparently with the hope of isolating some of the smaller bands of barn-burners and taking them on.
As Long and two other Confederate horsemen began to make their way down the Hershberger lane, the Federal horsemen near the gate immediately surrendered himself along with the horses of his comrades. Continuing on, Long and one other came upon the Federals at the house and demanded their surrender. Understandably defiant and willing to play his odds, one Federal cavalrymen drew his revolver and yelled, "I will surrender you!" Firing his pistol at almost point blank range at Long, the bullet whistled by Long without harming him.
The frightened mother quickly hurried her children in the house and slammed the door before the next exchange of shots followed. Not knowing the end result of the scrap in the yard, the family remained in the house throughout the evening, and feared that a report would be made to Federal headquarters in Luray and that another patrol would soon follow.
Sometime after dark another band of local men, frequently connected to Confederate activity, came to the house and asked for supper. Upon putting their horses in the barn, they stumbled upon a dead Federal in the yard, took him down near the bottomland not far from the creek and hastily buried him, placing fodder atop the grave to prevent suspicion should other Federals see the grave.
The third Federal had apparently made his way back to the main Federal force and reported the incident. Some sort of repercussions now seemed certain. More to follow . . .
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